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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — the sport
  4. row — a line
  5. board — a committee
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stock — shares
  8. mug — a face
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. squash — to crush
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. row — to paddle
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mug — to rob
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com